LITUANUS LITHUANIAN QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES   Volume 50, No.3 - Fall 2004 Editor of this issue: Violeta Kelertas ISSN 0024-5089 Copyright © 2004 LITUANUS Foundation, Inc.

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AUŠRINĖ MARCINKEVlČlŪTĖ-KERR

Nora Aušrienė

Aušrinė Marcinkevičiūtė-Kerr was born in Lithuania, graduated at The Fine Arts Academy in Lithuania. She currently lives in the United States. Ausrine participates in many art exhibitions and festivals in the United States and Europe. She has been nominated as the best artist in several of art shows.

Aušrinė creates her own language of art—through color and texture, various forms and surfaces—expresses it on leather. She plays with color—deep and bright, sunny and watery.

The first time that I saw Aušrinė's leather "sculptures" several years ago, I was amazed at how colorful they were. It is not easy to take a piece of leather and make it shine with several colors. The artist once wrote about her technical journey:

Each image is drawn freehand on pre-dyed, raised or sunken leather stretch panels. Pro dye, acrylic, aniline dye and other water base colors suit my needs best. Black, silver or gold ink outlines create definition of regular forms. The energy of colors, lines, shapes and contrasts, redefined by metal, stones and African brass beads, helps to complete my goal of both: harmony and quality.

High relief is created out of celluclay or cardboard over which leather is stretched and modeled. The glue soaks into the leather and makes the leather very pliable.

Aušrinė is very creative. She expands the technical possibilities of her art as well as seeking new images and new forms.

One part of her art consists of book covers and functional boxes which look like small sculptures. Many times these boxes are so decorative and full of vibration with colors and shapes that their artistic image becomes more important than their function. At the same time these boxes are very functionally made.

Lately Aušrinė has been expressing herself more through paintings on leather which are very unique. She uses various techniques: wax and photo images to enrich painting and to express her own thoughts and visions. The artist believes in the uniqueness of every piece of leather—the message which is encoded from a previous life. Through the images of flowers, human faces or abstract lines and patterns everyone receives a message from the artist about the vitality of nature and human existence.

"Tower", water base colors on ink on leather.